HI, IM CLAIRE

As a student, I like to think of myself as the master of a balancing act. I love cooking and eating healthy foods, but sometimes I only have enough time to grab something quick. And sometimes that something is a cheeseburger. As for exercise, I love the way I look and feel after a good work out, but if all of my friends are in my apartment watching The Bachelor, I might be more inclined to stay home and do that as opposed to wiping the stinging sweat out of my eyes at boot camp.

That’s why I’m here. I want to impart my ideas about how to balance food and fitness in a realistic and attainable way in order to achieve health. I don’t like diets, so don’t come here expecting to find one. But, if you’re here looking for a practical way to look at health and fitness from the perspective of a college student (or maybe just a very busy person), then I might have just the thing for you.

Tag Archives: My Fitness Pal

If you’re reading today’s post then you must’ve it through yesterday’s shocking announcement: spring break is less than two weeks away! Fortunately, there’s the Spring Break Slender Down meal plan, a no nonsense set of meal suggestions that will help you become the lean, mean, poolside-laying, (slender) margarita-sipping machine that I know you are.

Today’s post should give you a better idea of how to make the meal plan your own.The swaps can be used to change up the meals I suggested yesterday. Just make sure you check the nutrition information per serving before switching things around, as everything will have different calorie and nutrient content. Of course this list isn’t all-encompassing so if there’s something you have a question about incorporating into the Slender Down, let me know!

Freebies should get you through the day by either adding some spice to your meals or giving you something free to snack on between designated meals. Keep in mind that not every meal plan can work for everyone, so if you’re absolutely starving while on the Slender Down, you should think about adding 100-200 calories to the plan.

For more tips and meal suggestions, follow me on Instagram and check out the Spring Break Slender Down Facebook album!

Also, if you wanna show off your Slender Spring Break Meal Plan creations, tag me on Instagram or Twitter and add #springbreakslenderdown!

If that thought has sent you running into the back of your closet, looking for the nearest maxi dress, chill. I’m here to help. Today’s post is a meal plan that will have you treating your body well during these dire times. It’s nothing extreme, because that’s not what I’m about. But, depending on your goals and your starting point, it could help ya trim down a bit before it’s time to tie the knot in your bathing suit top.

Now, as a warning, these meal plans have calorie counts on them and they get pretty specific regarding their source. If that totally freaks you out, ignore it and follow my meal suggestions in terms of portions and ingredients, making appropriate swaps as needed. The calorie count is just there for those that are interested. If you’re in that pool, I’d suggest downloading either the MyFitnessPal or Calorie King apps to your phone so you can keep track on the go.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see how I’m following the meal plan. I’ll be posting Spring Break Slender Down suggestions in case you need further inspiration from the list below. Those are just jumping off points for you to get creative.

Sound good? Let’s continue.

Here’s the meal plan to follow on days when you don’t hit the gym. Those freebie calories can be used for a post-dinner snack like a Deep Chocolate VitaTop, or throughout the day for the little things you can’t live without– a sprinkle of grated cheese, a spoonful of salad dressing on your green salad.

This is the plan to follow on days when you hit the gym, which should happen 3-5 days a week for about an hour of combined cardio and strength training. Aim to burn at least 300-400 calories. Freebie calories can be used the same way you did on your rest days.

If you have questions, please post them in the comments and I’ll try and help you the best I can! No single meal plan will fit everyone’s needs, so let me know if you have an issue and I’ll see how I can tailor things to suit you.

Also, if you wanna show off your Slender Spring Break Meal Plan creations, tag me on Instagram or Twitter and add #springbreakslenderdown!

When it comes to slendering down, your iPhone is your friend. I’ve already told y’all about the glorious Nike Training Club app, which is an awesome resource for at home workouts. But, as you’ve probably noticed, I’m more into the kind of health that’s made in the kitchen, not the gym (though I know they’re both important). Enter the My Fitness Pal app.

In my numerous weight loss stints, I’ve had the most success when I’ve incorporated the use of a food diary. Whether this comes in the form of scratchy recordings in a mini Moleskine journal, the almighty and official Weight Watchers, or my new friend My Fitness Pal, tracking what I eat always delivers results. Writing down what I put in my mouth really makes me think about what I’m eating. Do I really want that piece of chocolate when I know it’s going to be staring at me, written in blood (k, calm down, Claire), later? Nah.

So the way My Fitness Pal works is pretty easy. You download the app, input your personal information (weight, height, activity level, etc.) and it gives you a daily calorie limit based on your goals. The food you eat subtracts from this number, and working out adds to it. I know y’all will do anything for extra credit.

Let me compare this to the major food journal program, the aforementioned holy grail of diva-shrinking diets: Weight Watchers. The first reason MFP wins is glaringly obvious– it’s free. I’ve gotta be picky when it comes to financing my journey to slenderhood and, while I have had sustainable success with WW, right now I’m tightening my wallet on that front. WW also works differently from MFP in that it uses points, not calories, to monitor intake. The problem I have with that is that fruits and vegetables have zero points. So what did I do on WW when I was hungry? Had a huge apple or an endless amount of pineapple chunks. Zero points…and zero weight loss. What? I realized why this was the case once I put these fruit portions into MFP and saw I was consuming hundreds of calories in fruit. Now, no one ever got fat from fruit, but I certainly did not need to be shoveling in those extra calories above my nutritional needs. It was keeping me from dropping the pounds and, gurrrrl, you know I was not having that. I do think Weight Watchers is a little more user friendly and counting/recording calories can be tedious, but once you have a routine down, your eating habits fall into the pattern and it doesn’t require so much planning.

So, if you want to lose a few, don’t have the budget for an expensive weight loss plan, and can count calories without driving yourself up the wall, give My Fitness Pal a try.

Have any of you had good results using the app? Do any of you hate it?